It could be the team from the Athens suburbs whose chances lie in ruins.

That was chiefly thanks to one of United’s most experienced men on the park in the ever-reliable Ryan Taylor.

However, as the Magpies flew out of Athens over the top of the Acropolis, this was another sign of progress for Newcastle United.

Alan Pardew set about laying foundations of his own in the Athens.

The stunning backdrop of the Egaleo mountains paled into insignificance as United got their first competitive game in five years under way in hot and sticky conditions.

The game was played in the western suburbs of the Greek capital and away fans arrived at the ground in the residential area of Peristeri to find walls daubed in graffiti hurling insults at police and anti-Nazi slogans.

The menacing-looking stadium also presented Newcastle fans with cold welcome signs, including: “The West Side boys are watching you.”

As the teams walked on the field, an intimidating banner was unfurled by home fans reading: “let them know what we represent.”

The Magpies made nine changes to the side which beat Spurs 2-1 and with tomorrow’s trip to Chelsea very much on the mind of Pardew.

With plenty of reorganising taking place in Newcastle’s first game in Europe since 2007, there was also readjustment needed in terms of tackling continental competitors.

However, despite creating openings through Dan Gosling and Papiss Cisse in the opening quarter of the tie, it was the home side who went in front.

Nikola Beljic released Denis Epstein down the left and he broke through to place the ball beyond Harper to hand Atromitos the lead.

In response, Newcastle tried to get in behind Atromitos, but the Greek side proved sturdy and resilient.

Ryan Taylor came the closest with a free-kick from the left- hand side, but Charles Itandje saved with his feet.

Perhaps Newcastle’s efforts were best summed up when Gosling’s overhead kick was fired high and wide.

Yet you just cannot write this Newcastle team off.

With just seconds of injury time left, Newcastle won a free-kick and Ryan Taylor stepped up in trademark fashion to curl the ball over the wall and past Itandje.

Newcastle just about deserved to be level after a frustrating first half.

The second period also opened up with a chance for Newcastle when Cisse crossed from the right, but Sylvain Marveaux headed straight at the keeper.

However, while Newcastle were the better side in the second half, they still went into the last 20 minutes locked all square at 1-1.

Pardew made changes after the break, with Gutierrez replacing Sylvain Marveaux and Romain Amalfitano coming on for Gosling.

There was also history made in the last 15 minutes when Adam Campbell became the youngest European debutant for the Magpies.

Campbell came on for United in the closing stages and took the record from Andy Carroll, who first appeared in the UEFA Cup against Palermo in 2006.

However, despite having a late chance, Campbell could not cap the night with what have been a stunning goal after finding a way through down the right.

Newcastle are now favourites to progress with the second leg at the end of the month and few will bet against them with a healthy crowd set to roar them on at St James’ Park.

United are back in Europe and – thanks to Ryan Taylor’s goal – back with a real bang.

Ryder’s verdict: Newcastle are well and truly in the driving seat to progress to the next stage.

Send a story

Advertising Department

Print

The Chronicle is read by more adults than any other regional newspaper on sale in the area. With 170,115 average issue readers, this reach extends to 366,753 weekly readers – that’s over 1/4 of adults in the area!

The average time spent reading the Chronicle is 31 minutes; which shows the length of time that readers are engaging with the editorial and advertising content.

49,199* copies of the Chronicle are sold on average each day as it continues to be an integral part of the region.

*ABC Newcastle Chronicle 100% paid, Mon - Sat, JICREG, 1/10/2012

Online

Unique Users: 1.6m

Page Views: 10m

Audience figures from Omniture, monthly average (Jan - Jun 2014).

More than 1 in 3 ChronicleLive users have clicked through to an online advertisement, demonstrating that our users are responsive and receptive to Internet advertising messages.

ChronicleLive reaches an internet-savvy audience, with 84% of users having purchased products or services online in the past 12 months.

Download our rate cards for all the prices of our print and digital products.